The new 007 - Page 3

Don't forget Connery was the guy from "Darby O'Gill and the little people" when he was made Bond. The lack of menace and the smarm in Brosnan is magnified ten fold in the awful Robbie Williams. Please God no.......

I'd go with Law as a first choice, followed by Farrell, then Owen. Â I think Owen and Farrell are a bit rugged for the part.

Wel, look at Sean Connery. He is a bit rugged for Bond. I think Clive Owen would make a perfect Bond. He cleans up nicely (just look at some of his BMW short movies) and he can be a brute when necessary. Just like Sean.

The BBC have reported today that certain bookmakers have suspended taking bets on who will be the next Bond following 6 large bets being placed on Colin Salmon. They fear inside knowledge. Others have dismissed it as a publicity stunt to raise his profile. It would appear unlikely unless Eon have decided to be very radical as Mr Salmon is black. Apart from this (I doubt I would get to play Shaft.) he is not the worst choice being mentioned, certainly better than that guy from those awful Star Wars prequels or that prepubescent Bloom bloke.

Isn't Colin Salmon the black MI6 agent from the last two Bond movies? Brosnan once said he would like to see him as 007. Doesn't mean it'll ever, ever happen, but he'd be a radical and intriguing choice.

A black Bond just doesn't work. It's not a racial thing...Ian Fleming wrote Bond as a white guy, and thus all the films producers have kept to that premise so why mess with the authors original intentions now? Having a black guy play Bond is like having an Asian play a Zulu chieftain. Or like having a white guy play a samurai warrior... Jon.

Ralph Fiennes or Jason Isaacs or Jeremy Northam would be very good in the role also. The net is saying that James Purefoy is a front runner. The Colin Salmon rumour, although interesting is just that as far as I am concerned. I saw a film recently about a Jewish Doctor who was a survivor of Auschwitz, and had close dealings with Dr Mengele, who was chillingly played by Jonathan Cake. I though he could be good, and I read somewhere he had tested out in around 1999. Just watched Licence to Kill tonight as it happens, the last good Bond film. Do Americans really not know what "revoked" means? (Licence revoked was to be the title but MGM changed it as they thought US viewers would not understand what it meant)

Having a black guy play Bond is like having an Asian play a Zulu chieftain. Or like having a white guy play a samurai warrior...

Stranger things have happened on film, like the Americans capturing the first Enigma machine.... Personally, I think Richard E. Grant would make a good Bond, and would probably be nearer to the way Fleming wrote the character.

A black Bond just doesn't work. It's not a racial thing...Ian Fleming wrote Bond as a white guy, and thus all the films producers have kept to that premise so why mess with the authors original intentions now? Having a black guy play Bond is like having an Asian play a Zulu chieftain. Or like having a white guy play a samurai warrior... Jon.

I'm all for minority actors getting good roles, but I agree. Â Bond is such an iconic figure that he has to look like what he is expected to look like for the audience to buy it. Â Because Bond's race (unlike that of a Zulu chieftain or samurai warrior) is not intrinsic to his character, and he theoretically could be played by a black actor, I think a more apt analogy is a white actor playing Shaft.

(imageWIS @ 04 Dec. 2004, 4:07) A black Bond just doesn't work. It's not a racial thing...Ian Fleming wrote Bond as a white guy, and thus all the films producers have kept to that premise so why mess with the authors original intentions now? Having a black guy play Bond is like having an Asian play a Zulu chieftain. Or like having a white guy play a samurai warrior... Jon.

I'm all for minority actors getting good roles, but I agree. Bond is such an iconic figure that he has to look like what he is expected to look like for the audience to buy it. Because Bond's race (unlike that of a Zulu chieftain or samurai warrior) is not intrinsic to his character, and he theoretically could be played by a black actor, I think a more apt analogy is a white actor playing Shaft.

I'm surprised there's been no mention of Paul Bettany. I assume he's attractive if not pretty (?--ladies help me out here), and if you're wondering about the rough streak, look no further than Gangster #1. Cool, stylish, and an absolute monster. Tone that down a bit and you've got a pretty great Bond. He also fits the bill as a relative unknown, compared to a couple of the comicbook mentions. There was a mention on AskAndy (just lurking) of Tarantino as director. I saw the Leno when he brought this up--Tarantino propagating/starting a rumor that he would have the job. Wanted to drum up publicity and give the producers no choice. Anyhow, he proposed getting back to the roots and re-doing Casino Royale, which is the first book but never made into a worthwhile movie. QT wants to get away from the big effects of late, relate more of the book's essence. In his own way I'm sure Personally I love the idea. Tom